Means for protecting third rails



w. WORONIECKI.

MEANS FOR PROTECTING THIRD RAILS.

APPLICATION -FlLED 115012, 1921.

1 ,41 0,440. t d Mar- 21, 1922.

2 SHEET$SHEET I.

W. WORONIECKI.

MEANS FOR PROTECIING THIRD RAILS.

Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I 01%;, 8% 5L i/Z APPLICATION FILED DECAL 1921- UNITED STA'iiEE-i EATENT QFFIQE.

WINCENTY VIORONIECKI. QIE DICKSQlT. FFENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNQR 0F ON -HALF TO JUSEF I. ZPANZCZKQ'WSKI, OF TI-ZROOP. PENNSYLVANIA.

Il-EEANS FOR PRGTECTING THIRD RAILS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

T 0 aZZ whom ii may concern.

Be it known that l, lVINcnNrY VVono- NInoKI, a citizen of Poland, residing at Dickson, in the county of Laclmwanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Protecting Third Rails, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric railways and particularly to means for covering or protecting the third rail, whereby accumulations of sleet and snow on said rail are prevented and accidental contact of workmen or others with such rail is made impossible.

The object of the invention is to provide a movable shield or cover for protecting third rails and to devise positive car actuated means whereby such cover will be shifted so as to expose the rail as a car ap proaches, and will be restored to protecting position after the car has passed.

Specifically I propose to provide a shield or cover formed of a series of independently movable sections arranged end to end, and to arrange car actuated mechanism whereby each section is shifted to expose the rail just before the car reaches such section, and each such shifted section is automatically restored to normal position after the car has passed it.

in order that the invention may be clearly understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, illustrating one embodiment thereof, and forming part of this specifieatiom in which drawings I Fig. 1 is a plan view of a fragment of a track equipped with my invention, such view showing one traction rail and the third rail with my improved shield applied thereee. A car is indicated in dotted lines, and the adjacent shield section is shown in its shifted position.

Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevations of the track shown in Fig. 1, a car being illustratedas approaching from the right in Fig. 2 andas leaving at the left in Fig. 3.

Figs. 4:, 5 and 6 are transverse sections on. an enlarged scale illustrating in detail my improved shield shifting mechanism, and showing the same in different positions. In these views parts are shown in elevation.

Figs. 7 and 7 are a fragmentary plan and side elevation respectively, illustrating the manner in which the actuating bars may be adjustably secured to the car so as to be capable of occupying two different positions.

lleiferring to the drawings in detail, the usual track rail is indicated at l and is supported on ties 2. The third rail is shown at 3, and is illustrated as being supported in an elevated position by means of suitable carriers or chairs 4., the third rail itself be ing of course suitably insulated as indicated in Figs. l, 5 and 6.

My improved shield or guard is indicated at 7 and, as shown, comprises an angular or trough shaped member which, when in normal position, overlies the third rail as illustrated in Fig. 4- in such a manner as to form a cover or roof with sloping sides. Thi arrangement renders the cover particu- .arl.y eliicient in protecting the rail from the elements.

The shield or cover comprises a series of independently movable sections, three of such sections, a, 7) and 0, being shown in the drawings. Each section is pivotally supported by means of hinges G to upstanding portions 5 of the chairs 4t, and the upper end of the portions 5 preferably has a flat top as shown in Fig. lso as to act as a supaort for the cover when it is shifted so as to expose the rail. 7

To the ends of each section of the shield are secured arms 8 and 9., and from the outer ends of these arms extend chains 10 to actuating arms or levers which will now be described. c

At each junction point of the shield sec tions is disposed a pair of ramps shown as in the nature of leaf springs ll and 12, havinga convex upper surface. One end of these springs is free, while the other end is rigidly secured as at 13, to a plate 13 extending along the ties. These ramps 11 and 12 may be made of any suitable length and may be secured to the plate 13 at any point necessary to produce the desired results.

Secured rigidly to each of the inner ramps 11 is a pair of horizontally projecting arms 14 an l 15. such arms being preferably bowed downwardl as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, so as to clear the ramp 12. The outer ends of the arms 14. and 15 are connected by means of the chains 10 to the arms 8 and 9 respectively. It will be understood that the chains 10 are preferably of such length as, when taut, to hold the shield sections inthe position indicated at c in Fig. 4c, in which position the shield is just out of contact with the rail. Other means for holding the shield spaced from the rail may be provided if: desired, or in some cases where the shield is constructed of dry wood, it may rest directly upon the rail.

Pivoted to the side of a chair 1 adjacent one end of each shield section, is a restoring device in the form of a bell-crank lever 16, mounted at 17 on a pivot. One end 18 of this lever projects under the ramp 12 in position to be engaged thereby, while the other end 19 of the lever is so positioned as to lie just below the shield section when it rests in its inoperative position upon the top of the portion 5 of the chair, as indicated at inFig. 4.

A represents a car or locomotive of any usual type having the current collecting shoe A (see Fig. 1) which engages the third rail. At each end of the car A is mounted a bar or arm B so shaped and positioned as to engage the ramps above described. The bar B at the front of the car is arranged to engage the ramp 11 and the bar B at the rear of the car is arranged to engage the ramp 12.

In order to provide for backing up, or moving the car. slightly in the reverse direction, it is necessary to equip each end of the car with an additional bar or arm 13. The two bars B and B at each end of the car are preferably held in brackets 0 provided with pairs'ot' T-slots (Z in which similarly shaped T-heads on the bars fit and slide. Chains f or the like, may be provided, by means of which the bars B and B may be raised and lowered into and out of operative position, and when lowered, they may be held down by means of pins 6 or by any other suitable device.

The operation of the system will now be briefly described, assuming the bars B to be lowered'into operative position. As a car approaches from the right as in Fig. 2, the bar B will engage the ramp 11, and will depress as indicated in dotted lines. This operates through the arm. 14: to-exert a pull through the chain 10 on the arm. 8 attached to the adjacent shield section 7), and .thus

turns such section on its hinges and throws it into the open or 1n-operat1ve position in dicated in Figs. 1 and 5. The car then passes along the portion of the track adjacent the section b as shown in Fig. 1, and when the car has entirely passed section 7), the bar Eat the rear of the car engages the ramp 12 at the left of Figs. 1.2 and 3, thus depressing it. The downward movement of this ramp 12 causes it to engage the end 18 ot the bell-crank lever 16 and swing such lever on its pivot, thus causing the end 19 thereof to kick up and push over or swing back section b of theshield into its normal positionassh'own in Fig. 3. I

It will thus be seen that'as the car travels bei ug employed.

position.

along it successively shifts each section of the shield away from the third rail so as to expose the same, and then, after it has passed, restores each section to normal position. It will also he noted that this shifting and restoring operation is mechanical and positive in both directions, no spring Each shield section when shifted, remains in inoperative position until positively thrown back or restored by the car engaging ramp 12. 1

As shown, the ramp 12 is preferably arranged higher than the ramp 11 so as to allow the ramp 12 to more easily workclear of the arms 1d and 15. V

When it is desired to run the car a short distance in the opposite direction or to back up over a portion of the track just passed, the bars B are raised and the bar B at what was the rear ofthe car is lowered. It will be noted roman inspection of Fig. 1 that the ha r B at the front of the car is nearer the track rail and the bar- B at the rear of the car is nearer the third rail. The bars B are therefore similarly staggered but reversely arranged, so that the bar B at what is the rear of the car in Fig. 1 would be nearer the track rail. Thus when. this bar B is lowered andlocked inoperative posi' tion, and the car is run backward, the bar 13 engages the ramp 1]., thus depressing the arm 15 and swinging the associated shield section into position to expose the third rail. Continued movement of the car in this reverse direction, however, will not result in restoring the shield section to its original However, it will be seen that the shieldis automatically shifted to inoperative position as the car approaches it from a reverse direction, and this is sufficient to enable the car to successfully back up.

It will be noted thatwhen the ramp 11 is depressed by the bar B as just described, the arm 14; carried thereby is also actuated, but the shield section to which this arm is attached being already in the inoperative position no effect will be produced.

While I have shown a specific method of constructing the bars B and B, it will of course be understoodthat I do not limit myself to any such details of construction. Any other desired method of adjusting the bars maybe used, or, if preferred, a single bar, shiftable to two positions may be employed.

What I claim is V laThe combination with a thirdrail, and a moi ableshield. therefor, said shield being supported on hinges so disposed that it may be swung to and retained by gravity in either a position to cover the rail or to expose the same, and car-actuated means for positively shifting said shield from either position to the other.

2. The combinationwith a third rail, and a movable shield normally in position to cover the same, of mechanical means, positively actuated by the car as it travels along, for first shifting said shield so as to expose the rail, and subsequently restoring the shield to its normal position, and a flexible connection between said car actuated means and said shield.

3. The combination with a third rail, and a movable shield normally in position to cover the same, said shield being vcomposed of independently movable sections arranged end to end, of means located along the track spaced from said shield sections and actuated by the car as it approaches each section to shift such section so as to expose the rail, and independent means positively actuated by the car as it passes away from each section to restore the previously shifted section to normal position.

The combination with a third rail, and a shield therefor composed of a series of independently movable sections arranged end to end, said shield sections being normally in position to cover the rail, of a pair of ramps located at the meeting ends of each adjacent pair of shield sections and operatively connected thereto, and means carried by the car for engaging one of said ramps to shift the next section ahead into position to expose the rail, and means carried by the car for engaging another ramp to return said section to normal position.

5. The combination with a third rail, and apivoted shield therefor capable of occupying either a position to cover the rail or a position to expose it, oi? a pair of car actuated elements located along the track, a flexible connection between one of said. elements and said shield to swing it in one direction, and a lever between the other of said elements and said shield to shift it in the opposite direction.

6. The combination with a third rail, of a movable shield. therefor angular or troughshaped in cross-section, means for normally supporting said shield above the rail with its corner or ridge uppermost, so as to serve as a watershed, and means for shifting said shield away from the rail so as to expose the same.

7. The combination with a third rail, of an angular or trough shaped shield there for, supports along the track to which said shield is hinged, by one of its edges, means for swinging said shield about its hinges into a position in which it overlies the rail, means for supporting it in this position, and means for swinging said shield back into position where the rail is exposed, the hinges being so located that the shield is retained by gravity in said last mentioned position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

lVINOENTY WORONIECKI. 

